US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold their first personal meeting in Iceland on May 19. This is stated in the published work schedule of the US State Department.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – May 19, 2021 – Diplomatic Affairs
Thus, it is known from the schedule that the talks of the foreign ministers will take place in the afternoon. At the beginning of the talks, cameras from the official pools of both sides will be allowed to film. As a rule, the rest of the meeting takes place behind closed doors.
Officials from both countries said the meeting would take place in preparation for a potential summit of Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin next month. The exact date and venue of this summit are currently unknown.
Blinken and Lavrov are likely to discuss other topics. This will be their first meeting since President Joe Biden took office.
The United States has recently disagreed with Russia over a number of issues, including the imprisonment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the build-up of Russia’s military presence near Ukraine’s borders, cyberattacks on the United States, Russia’s Nord Stream 2 project, and interference in Western elections.
Moscow has accused the United States of trying to interfere in its internal affairs.
The eight-member Arctic Council will meet in Reykjavik on May 19-20. It will mark the end of Iceland’s two-year presidency and the group’s 25th anniversary.
Russia is taking over as chairman of the Arctic Council for the next two years.
Read also: Blinken Comments on the Possible Disconnection of Russia from SWIFT
Source: Ukrgate